Missing!
by Starykid
Summary: Ruthie Camden & Rachel Rodriguez are kidnapped along with 4 teens from Florida, taken to Iraq & forced to be insurgents. What happens when they take matters into their own hands?R&R 2 find out!
1. Not Knowing

_People talking will be in italics._

**Not Knowing:**

It was a normal day at Glenoak High School, except that two kids that went to the school had gone missing over the weekend. News reports were also saying that 4 other teens had been taken from there homes in Florida. The other four teens that had gone missing were: Katie Bell, Sarah Johnson, Brian Dunne, & Jake Fry. The teens that had gone missing from Glenoak were Ruthie Camden & Rachel Rodriguez. Where they were, nobody knew.

By the end of the week, the whole U.S. knew that we were missing, but we were no longer in the country. We had, unfortunately, been taken over to Iraq; our heads had been shaved, given rangy clothes, & put in a cell together in a camp. I had met an Iraqi girl, who had been kidnapped by insurgents and her father had been forced to be a soldier in Baghdad & she didn't know if he was still live or not. When we first got to the camp, we were put in a cell by ourselves, but then a week later, we were given an interpreter. Her name was Nyhassa. For short we named her Naomi & because she knew English she said we could call her that.

When we talked, we talked in English, so the guards couldn't understand what we were saying. We made a plan to escape when we were let out during the day to go anywhere in the camp. Nyhassa stayed with us at all times. Katie, Ruthie, Sarah & I came up with boy names so that when Nyhassa called us, we would know who she was talking to. KatieKit, SarahSean, RuthieRandy, & I was called Rick.


	2. Lunch

**Lunch:**

One day, while the guards let us eat lunch with everyone else, on of the guards came over to us & told something to Nyhassa (Naomi). Naomi repeated it to us. The guard wanted me to help him with something. I looked at Ruthie & told Naomi that I wasn't going to leave Ruthie's sight, no matter what they did to me. Naomi related this to the guard. The guard looked at me for a moment then grabbed my arm. I looked over at Ruthie & said her name, but some other guards were standing next to everyone else. The guard took me to a room & then made me to take off my shirt. He looked at me & then gave me a hospital gown to put on. For some reason, I just stood there & looked at him. He told me to do something but all I did was put my shirt back on. I didn't understand what he had said. The guard took his whip off his hip & hit me in the legs. He repeated what he said but all I did was stand there. I didn't know what he said to me. The hospital gown lay on the ground. The guard whipped at my legs again & I fell to the ground. Finally, he told another guard to go get Nyhassa & he did. I sat on the ground & stared at the gown.

When Nyhassa came in, she hurried to my side & asked if I were okay. I shook my head no. my legs were killing me & I was ashamed to have let a man look at my chest. The guard looked at Nyhassa & told her to tell me that I was to take off my clothes & put on the hospital gown. Naomi repeated what he said to me. All I did was look at her and asked, "_What for? I haven't done anything?"_ Naomi repeated what I said to the guard. The guard looked from me to the Nyhassa & then said we could go back to our cell.

When we got back to the cell, Ruthie, Sarah, Katie, Jake & Brian looked at me. Naomi was helping me walk. My legs hurt really badly & I didn't know what the guard was going to do to me. Nyhassa didn't know what happened before the guard told the other guard to come get her.

I didn't tell anybody what had happened in the little room, but I knew that if the guard had had a chance, he would have raped me. Later on I would realize that he only wanted to slip a note to me that was in English. It told of a plan to get out of the camp. Nyhassa went to get some water & came back with the note & the guard. I recoiled into the corner, but he didn't have his whip with him this time. He looked at me & in his best English told, he told me he was sorry. Before he left, he bent close to Nyhassa & told her to keep an eye on us as he slipped the note into her pocket & hand. He then left & we never saw him again. Nyhassa told us that he was transferred to another camp. That he himself only wanted what was best for us, all of us.


	3. Two Months

**Two Months:**

When two months had passed & nobody could find us, the U.S. looked for other countries to start helping. Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, & South America started looking for all 6 of us. Our pictures were posted on posters everywhere. I realized that my Cousin Hector was in Saudi Arabia, helping the Air Force guard an American Air Strip. I told Naomi, Ruthie, Katie, Sarah, Brian, & Jake & the plans began. We would leave as soon as possible. That night we waited till one of the guards came by & checked our cell. I lay on the ground, curled in a ball, pretending to be hurt. The guard unlocked the door, unaware of our plan. He came up to me & reached his hand out to shake me, but I felt his hand go around my throat. He was going to choke me to death. Brian jumped on him then & put his arm around the guard's neck & slammed his free hand into the back of his head. He grabbed the keys, we all left, & Brian locked the cell door. We left the building, ran for the fence door, opened it, & then locked it when we were all out of the camp. Brian slipped the keys through the fence & dropped them we took off running & made it to the next town by daybreak. We seeked refuge in an orphanage & the owners took us in. that very minute we knew we were still going to have to fight our way home.

When the camp figured out that we had escaped, they immediately started searching the grounds. They found the keys at the camp entrance & they knew we were in the desert. They didn't come looking for us because they figured we were probably already dead.

Many Iraqi & American soldiers saw us enter the battle grounds during crossfire & immediately bullets but my Cousin Hector was among those American & Iraqi soldiers that were looking for us. Nobody knew that we were now standing in front of these men. Nobody knew what we looked like at the moment. We had gone out looking for food for the orphanage & ourselves. One Iraqi soldier made a note on the building we went into after walking through the firefight. We gave the food to the cooks & went to our room. We stayed there for a long time, just waiting. Waiting for American soldiers to find us.


	4. CNN & Leaving

**CNN & Leaving:**

During dinner that night, we watched **CNN**. The wife of the owner of the orphanage--names will be in later—looked at the pictures on the 20" TV, the she looked back at us. To Naomi she asked for our names. Naomi told her that yes; we were the 6 teens that were missing from American. The husband looked up and said that we needed to start trying to get to the Americans & the only way to do that was to leave tonight with everyone from the orphanage.

Everyone started packing that night. The little kids--babies, toddlers, disabled—would be carried in backpacks and slings. Ruthie looked at me & said that we would have to pack every bit of clothes that we could find. Ruthie, Katie & I started to collect any bags that we could find. We would use the hoodies to make slings for the babies & smaller kids. Some of the toddlers needed special care since some of them had disabilities that were evident w/their surroundings. Some had gas burns from gas bombs exploding near their homes. Others had limbs missing from a bomb landing near their homes. One girl had both of her arms amputated from the elbows down. That little girl had grown attached to Ruthie & me. She would barely leave our sides, which was kinda getting hard, because she kept getting in our way. We had names the girl Kayla. The owner finally took her & put her with the rest of the kids.

As we were getting ready to leave the orphanage, we heard yelling outside that made us all run to the windows. Some Iraqi & American soldiers were trying to figure out which building we were in. Ruthie went over to Kayla and picked her up. We had given some of the kids English names so that they knew who we were talking to when we called them. When we were ready, we took our first steps from the orphanage & into the depths of the Iraqi street. The American & Iraqi soldiers stopped what they were doing and asked where we were going & if we knew where the 6 American teens were being held hostage. My first thought was that my Cousin Hector was one of these American soldiers, but on taking a closer look, I saw that he wasn't among these soldiers. If any of them were, I would have recognized the burn scar on the side of his face. We quickly told them that we were headed to the next town because there was a larger orphanage to house all the kids. The soldiers told us to be careful. We said that we would & were on our way.


	5. PTSD

**PTSD:**

We never made it to the next town, which was 15 miles away. I hadn't been feeling good all day & when we were at least 5 miles away from the town we had just come from, I collapsed w/Kayla in my arms. When Kayla fell from my arms, she landed on her ankle wrong & cried out when she felt it twist. Ruthie turned to see Kayla lying on the ground, trying to hold her ankle. And then she saw me. I was curled up in a little ball & shaking all over. She yelled and everyone came to a halt. Ruthie bent down to try to get me to stand up, but I wouldn't, couldn't. I didn't want to. It felt like I was being stabbed over and over; like I was being whipped over and over. I moaned several times while Ruthie held me in her arms. Everyone sat down and ate what they needed to. Naomi brought some food & water over to Ruthie & me. She said it might help to get some food & water into my system and it seemed to work, because my body uncurled itself. The moaning stooped & I tried to raise myself to my knees. Ruthie & Naomi both told me to be careful, told me to take it easy. Then they helped me onto my feet. With Naomi's help, Brian was able to get me onto his back. Everyone started up again. Naomi had Kayla and the pack that I had been carrying.

By midday, we heard the helicopter. Nobody stopped, not even when it remained above us, watching us move ever so slowly northward. We didn't know that this helicopter had a News Crew inside of it, nor did we know that they were filming our move northward. The news was also being shown to everybody in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and Africa.

It was 2nd period back California, when Simon turned on the news. The videotape of our ever so slow progress northward, sent chills through everyone. One thing nobody, not even Simon would ever think Kyle would say, he said. "PLEASE, Lord, let Ruthie, Katie, Rachel, Sarah, Brian, & Jake be alive, be well, & bring them back safely to us, their families, & their friends. Everyone misses them. Don't let anything happen to any one, especially anyone who is helping them find their way home, back to us. In your name, GOD, Amen." When he was done, everyone was looking at him. They didn't need to say anything. Even Kyle was surprised at what he had said. They all turned back to the TV to see that we had stopped. They watched in horror as they saw someone being laid on the ground, someone feeding me, someone giving me something to drink, & then me going back up onto Brian's shoulders. The news crew had radioed ahead saying that there was a lot of Muslims making there way to Baghdad. They didn't know why, but when we got to Baghdad, they saw that the Muslims had the 6 American teens' among them. The newscaster was saying that all 6 of the Americans were safe thanks to the help of an Iraqi orphanage & a soldier that helped them escape the camp that we were being held at. The reporter also said that the American girl that was being helped onto the back of an American boy was in fact from California. The boy was from Florida. The two other girls and the other boy were also from Florida. The other girl with us was also from California. Everyone else seemed to be in good health except me, & the doctors were still trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

When the newscaster said that the boy from Florida was carrying one of the girls from California, everyone knew that we had made it into the arms of safety. They also wanted to know more about my condition so they kept the TV's on. Every TV was turned on in the High School when Mrs. Campbell called the office to tell the principal that we were on TV & the principal got on the intercom & told everyone to turn on there TV's.

Back in Iraq, my cousin Hector immediately went to Baghdad & sought us out. When he met with the other kids, a news reporter was standing nearby. The reporter took the time to ask my cousin a couple questions. He answered, saying that he was my cousin & the he lived in Texas, instead of California, but would be going back CA with us.

The doctors found out what was wrong with me. They figured out that I had a disease called "PTSD" or "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder". They told my cousin & my friends that I needed to keep my stress down & released me from the hospital.


	6. Surprise!

If you wanna know more about types of dogs just Google_ Types of Dogs_

**Surprise!:**

Our next surprise was the shipment of different kinds of dogs from all over the world. There were 6 English Mastiff's, 2 Rottweilers, 1 Alaskan malamute, 3 Collies, 2 Great Dane's, 1 Doberman pincher, 2 Basset hound's, 4 Golden retriever's, 2 Samoyed's, 12 Newfoundland's, & 5 Siberian Husky's. That makes 40 dog's altogether. It was decided who would go home with what dogs. Ruthie, Kayla, & I would go home with the Husky's, 4 of the Newfoundland's & the malamute. Everyone else would go home with the other dogs. We left for the U.S. the next day, along with everyone else from the orphanage, Hector, the dogs, & the other American kids.


	7. Home

**Home:**

None of our friends or families knew that we were on our way back & thought we were still in Iraq. We landed in Virginia to refuel, and then headed to Texas to pick up Hectors' family. We were told by Hector's wife that Jake's, Katie's, Sarah's, & Brian's families had move to California waiting for them to come home. We were also told that Simon & his 2nd period class would be waiting for us at the airport when we landed. My Uncle Quan had called the house and told her this. When the Air Force Plane landed at the LAX Airport, we were overjoyed to see similar faces looking at the plane as it came to a stop.

As we got off the plane, Simon ran up to Ruthie and gave her a hug. He also reached over and grabbed me and pulled me into the hug. I finally got loose & turned as Naomi, Kayla & Naomi's father stepped off the plane. Naomi's father had been one of the Iraqi prisoner's & when Naomi recognized him she had shouted "_Father"_ & he was released. It was a happy reunion for the both of them. Naomi put Kayla down & she ran into my arms. Even though she had no arms, she still tried to hug me. Then the orphanage stepped off the plane. The mayor of Glenoak was going to build an orphanage on some land that was donated by the church--it would be next to the church--so that Ruthie & I could visit anytime we wanted to. Jake, Sarah, Brian, & Katie's families--though we didn't know it had moved to Glenoak permanently & bought homes, near my mom's complex, but the kids would still go to Glenoak High School. Hector and his family stepped off the plane next & walked over to me. Hector put his hand on my shoulder and said,_ "Let's go home,"_ & we all readily agreed.


	8. The Gym & The Talk

**The Gym & The Talk:**

We made it to the high school & started toward the gym. Simon & his second period class ran ahead. They forgot about it being an educational assembly & burst through the doors with smiles on their faces, & everyone stopped talking. When they stopped talking, they heard footsteps coming down the hall. We were still in Muslim clothing when we walked in, so at first nobody knew what was happening. The dogs burst from the group of us & started barking loudly when we finally told them to be quiet. Our parents were there as well.

As the 6 of us stepped forward, the dogs stopped barking and lay down. On the count of three, we all reached up & took off our hoods. Kayla came running up to me & I bent down to pick her up. Our friends, families, & classmates started cheering because we were finally home. It was Hulio who came up & looked straight into my eyes. His words to me, I will never forget. He said, _"It's good to have you home Rachel."_ I just broke down crying then. Ruthie, Katie, Sarah, Brian, Jake, & I looked behind us. I looked straight at Nyhassa.

"_We couldn't have done it without you Nyhassa our Naomi. I think you and your father will love living here."_ Nyhassa looked at me, then at Kayla.

"_Where's Kayla going to stay? She needs medical care. Besides we told the doctor that she would be staying with you & your family. We can't go back on our promise, can we? But then again, you're going to need medical attention, too. What with you having PTSD and all,"_ Naomi asked.

I looked down & turned back to my family.

"_Can she stay with us? She's an orphan. She lost her parents when her home was blown up. She's going to need someone to feed her."_

My dad looked at me.

"_She can stay with us. But why does she need someone to help feed her?"_

"_She doesn't have any arms. She lost them when she lost her family. And since she doesn't know any English, I can translate for her. We learned enough Arabian, that we could tell you what she wants now."_

"_And what does she want right now?"_

I looked straight into my father's eyes.

"_A family, she just wants a family that will love her, no matter what she looks like."_

Every American, except those that were in Iraq with me, just stared. Hulio walked back up to me & looked up into my eyes.

"_I don't want another sister. I already got 8."_

"_Actually you got a lot more than 8 sisters now. But they live in the orphanage."  
_

By that time all the families stepped up & the **Welcome Home's** were flying everywhere. It was Juanita who finally asked about all the dogs. All together there were 40 dogs of different kinds of breeds. The dogs became restless & started whimpering and barking for at least some attention. The dogs were only used to everyone that had flown to California by plane. Kayla looked at me and my dad finally asked why I needed medical attention along with Kayla.

"_You didn't hear what Nyhassa said, did you?"_

"And what did she say?"

"Well, if you remember back when we were making our way to Baghdad. I was the one that was being carried. The doctors told me that I have PTSD which is **Posttraumatic Stress Disorder**."  


After I said that I looked down. My father walked up to me & lifted my chin.

"_That can be kept under control. Just don't make it so you're under a lot of stress, at all. As for Kayla getting medical attention, I can understand that. Now that you're all home, we can have a party. Anyone's invited. We'll move the trailer down by the river & set up the tents. I'm sure Hondo will let us use the tents he has for some shade and to keep all the food under just in case it rains. Anybody up for that idea? Bedsides with Katie's, Jake's, Brian's & Sarah's families living in Glenoak permanently, you'll have some girlfriends to hang out with. You know, instead of always hanging out with guys. Do you like that idea?"_

"_Yeah i like that idea a lot. But you have to know that all 40 dogs belong to me, Ruthie, Katie, Sarah, Brian, & Jake. They were shipped over to Iraq by different countries, or that's what we were told."_

My father looked and everyone else at me. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. That was the end of the conversation in front of everyone. My siblings: **Hulio, Adabella, Alejandrina, Esperanza, Alondra, Aida, Juanita, Nadia, Nuria, Pedro, Alejandro, & Jose** came up to me & asked which dogs were going to stay with us. I looked down, put Kayla down, & moved to pick up a Basset Hound puppy & said that I wanted this one.

**Alejandrina** spoke up then.

"_It looks like Penelope, doesn't it?"_

"_Yeah she does. That's why I'm going to name her Penelope, Penny for short. How's Isabel doing?"_


	9. The Orphanage

**Private thoughts are in bold.**

**The Orphanage:**

"_She's doing alright. Every time she asked for you we had to lie and tell her you were at a friend's house. It's nice of you to remember grandma & grandpa's dog Penelope (a.k.a. Penny). They'll be touched."_

The conversations stopped when Naomi stepped forward and talked to Ruthie in a low tone. Ruthie turned to me.

"_Naomi wants to see where the orphanage where her, her father & the orphanage would be living is."_

I turned toward my family & asked if we could go see the orphanage. My parents said that we would see it later because it was built up the road, in the vacant lot near the church & we could walk to it whenever we wanted to.

The orphanage, my cousin Hector & his family, Nyhassa & her dada, Sarah's, Jake's, Brian's, Katie's, Ruthie's & my families, plus the whole school ventured outside. The owner's names of the orphanage are: Kahli & Jhezro Khulan. They were told that the name of the orphanage was **"Hero's To All."**

Jhezro looked at me, Ruthie, Brian, Katie, Sarah, & Jake. His eyes filled with tears & we crowded around him & he cried saying that he was glad that we were finally safe.

When we showed up at the orphanage, there was a loud gasp. The little kids ran up to the door, pulled it open, & ran into the front room. Jhezro & Kahli went inside as well. I looked at everything that was outside. A lawn that would need to be mowed at least once a week; there was a fence that had been stained, a flower bed, a well, (which meant running water inside), toys for the kids, & a shed full of yard tools. On the other side of the fence, were blackberry bushes which meant blackberry pies in the summer. The bushes had been cut back but not totally destroyed. In every corner of the yard was an apple tree, orange tree, lemon tree, plum tree, cherry tree, & a pear tree had been planted. Kahli rushed out of the three story house & grabbed my hand, pulling me back inside. Then I found out why.

Inside the front room were shelves & shelves of tea sets. I gasped & turned around.

"_There my tea sets from mum's house!"_ I exclaimed.

"_Yeah, except yours are still at mom's house," _Juanita said.

"_How can that be? They look exactly like mine!"_

Nadia spoke up. _"Everyone pitched in. people from school, neighbors, teachers, bus drivers, even strangers. When they found out we were lignin the front room with tea sets, everyone was happy to help. We took pictures of all your tea sets, including the broken ones & the rose plate. When all the pictures developed, families grabbed a picture or two & headed to antique shops. Some families got duplicates of the ones you didn't have & put one in here and one at mom's house. Mom & Frank had to put up more shelves in your room. A few adults fixed up your broken tea sets & made it so the glue doesn't show. You'll have to wait & see your room. It's neat looking."_

Simon looked at Ruthie. _"How did you guys get over to Iraq in the first place? The security guards should've stopped the guy that took you over their."_

Ruthie looked at Simon and answered.

"_Easy he made us ride with the pets. We basically just snuck onto the plane, was taken over to France, put into a van & driven to a camp in Iraq."_

Painful memories came back to me in a flash. **How was I going to tell everyone what had happened to me when the guard had taken me into a small room & ordered me to take off my shirt? How was I going to tell them about the guard whipping me in the legs until I fell & until he told another guard to go get Nyhassa? How was I going to tell my family, my friends, even Jhezro & Kahli? How was I going to tell everyone what had happened to me in that small room? I decided that I would tell one group of people at a time. Sarah, Jake, Brian, Ruthie, & Naomi were all looking at me, but I ignored them until we were alone, by ourselves, while everyone else was inside talking.**


	10. Telling What Happened

**Telling What Happened:**

"_So, what were you thinking about when Ruthie was talking to everyone else about our time in Iraq?"_ Naomi asked.

I just looked at them. Tears started to well up in my eyes & I wiped them away. And then told them, I told them everything.

"_When I was in the room during that lunch we were aloud to eat together, the guard told me to take my clothes off, but only told me to take my shirt off at first. Then he through a hospital gown at my feet and told me to strip & put it on. I hadn't understood him so I just put my shirt back on & he took out his whip. He started to whip me in my legs & yell in Arabian telling me to put the hospital gown on. All I did was look down at the ground until my legs collapsed under me. That's about the time the guard told another guard to go and get Nyhassa. And you know what happened after that fact"._ When I was done, nobody said anything. I heard a noise from behind me & turned around. Everyone was there. I looked at them & tried so hard to keep the tears from falling but I couldn't. This wasn't how I had wanted everything to work out. I had wanted to tell small groups of people one at a time. I looked at my family & turned away. Naomi walked up to me & put her arms around me. I was lucky to have such good friends.

"_Why don't we talk alone & you can get whatever is on your mind off of it, okay?"_ Naomi asked. She wanted to talk to me alone, just the two of us. She had never asked me that before.

"_Sure,"_ I said._ "I'll lead the way, since I know my way around."_

We started toward the Promenade. I told her what was on my mind & she told me that she would always be here for me.

"_Now that were going to the same school, we'll see each other everyday. You can always talk to me, Rachel. I'm always going to be there for you, okay?"_ Naomi asked.

"_Yeah, okay. Hey I wonder if Pete's Pizza Place is open today. But the again, it probably isn't, because they are probably at the orphanage with everybody else. You wanna go see if they're open?"_

"_Sure, I'd love to. But it doesn't look like they are open. Come on let's keep walking & talking. I like it when the two of us talk together,"_ she said.

"_This is the first conversation we've both had with each other. Not to be rude or anything, but I figured you'd want to spend time with your dad considering how long you were separated from him. You know what I mean, right?"_ I asked.


	11. Dinner

**Dinner:**

"_Yeah, you're right, but you were away from you're family for 2 months & they didn't know where you were. Why should I only talk to my dad? Why don't you talk with your parents as well?"_ she asked.

"_Because you & your dad were separated for almost a year. Besides me & my father don't talk much unless he's yelling at me. We just never had a tight relationship. Come on, let's head back. It's starting to get cold out. You aren't, I mean it, are **not** allowed to tell my parents about our little conversations, kay?"_ I said & asked at the same time.

"_Alright, but you can always talk to me, whenever you want to. Remember that I will always be here for you. You know that right?"_

"_Yeah I know that. Maybe you can come over tonight & have dinner with us."_

"_I think Kahli & Jhezro already have dinner covered. I can already smell the chicken roasting. Come on, let's hurry & help."_

"_That's a good idea. Kahli's fried chicken is the best, especially with her baked beans, homemade bread, oh and her non-alcoholic drinks. Those are the best. They're kinda like energy drinks b/c we were always hyper after we drank them. Let's hurry, we're almost there,"_ I said.

We ran the rest of the way back to the orphanage. When we got there, tables were being set up outside & tents were being put over the tables, just incase it rained. A tent was also put up over the tables that were coming from the kitchen. Naomi & I ran for the kitchen, but were held back. We were told that the adults would cook tonight. We told them that we wanted to make the lemon meringue pie & banana cream pie before the dinner was finished being made. We again were told that it was already in the oven. I spoke up then.

"_Well how come Brian gets to help?"_

He walked over to us & said, _"You call this helping. Yeah right, it's more like eating Kahli's delicious chicken," _he teased.

I glared at him & w/in minutes, Naomi, Ruthie, Katie, Jake, Sarah, Alejandrina, & I were chasing after Brian. When we caught up to him, he tripped and fell to the ground & we all piled onto him, trying so hard, just to tickle him. He was laughing& crying so hard and screaming mercy, mercy, mercy over and over again, that we gave up & all lay in a heap laughing hard. Everyone else had seen & heard what had been going on b/ween all of us that they just burst out laughing as well. This is what I liked about this group--excluding Alejandra of course--before we left Iraq. The pure happiness of being together, no matter what we had gone through. We were always sticking together like glue. That's how it had been for the past two months. It was always a joy to be with this group. I was happy to be home, with my friends & family.


	12. Explaining How The Orphanage Came About

**Explaining How The Orphanage Came About:**

When dinner was ready Kahli & Jhezro called for everyone to go to the main room, where all the orphans had been occupying themselves. Kayla had been looking at all the tea sets & was trying to ask anyone who would listen what they were & why they were everywhere. I scooped her up into my arms and in Arabian told her that they were tea sets and that they were for decoration & not to be played with b/c they could break, easily.

Ruthie came over & looked at me. Then she stared at all the tea sets. She was still surprised that I actually collected a lot of the sets by myself.

"_What?"_ I asked.

She answered me in a tone that surprised me. It was that that of someone who admired another.

"_You're a good mom. We are all good parents to these orphans. But what will happen when we go back to school? Kayla will want to come with us. I mean, what are we going to do when they start going to school. They have to become citizens & all that junk before we can all really be truly happy that they are here with us. How are we going to pay for everything that they need? We could get jobs and all, but I don't know how we're going to pay for all the medical bills coming from all the kids,"_ she paused to take a breath & Jhezro stepped in. In his best English he told us what the answers were to Ruthie's questions.

"_Maybe you 6 could, uh could get job & help pay for food & da bills & come by everyday after school. Den you could walk to Rick's house and have parents pick you up from there. How's dat sound?"_ he asked.

Ruthie and I looked at him, but were speechless. We thought our problems were solved & then Adabella came over with three heaping plates of food.

"_Kahli instructed me on what you two liked & seeing as Rachel is my sister and all I just piled everything onto plates. Figured us three could talk about future plans for the orphanage & all. Mom & Adriano have already figured out that all of Rachel's Christian & Soundtrack music will be the only music aloud to play in the orphanage. I came up with the idea and they loved it. That includes the Mp3's as well. Everyone has contributed to the orphanage & this was my contribution," _she paused & looked at me. There was a smile on my face, but I couldn't help asking one question.

"_Did Anastasia & dad & everyone else think I ran away at first? I mean seeing as how I always complained about my life & everything. You know what I mean. So did they?"_ I asked.

Adabella looked at me. _"They & we did at first until we learned that Ruthie, Katie, Sarah, Brian, & Jake also went missing at the same time as you did, then we thought different. At some points during the time you were all missing, all us kids, including Simon & his siblings, along with many friends from school would just hang out at our house and watch the news while playing board games & what not. We were all confused at why this had happened to you guys, but when mom & Adriano sat us all & I mean all of us--20 kids or so--down & told us the truth that the soldiers had told them, we kinda understood more. It was two weeks ago that we heard about the orphanage & that you 6 were there. It was Hulio who came up with the idea of building an orphanage in this lot. We got permission from the church & w/in 2 days we had contractors, carpenters, & architects out here. Dad did the foundation. We made sure there were enough rooms for every kid. That meant at least seven stories. Simon figured maybe we could widen the structure & maybe get all the rooms into at least four stories. We did it because one story is under ground. It's got cement walks, but the people from 'Extreme Makeover Home Edition' showed up & Ty got cork board on the cement walls so none of the kids would get hurt. There is a heater in every room & the laundry room is one the first floor. That's the only room without cork board. The laundry room has a space heater, but it's not in use at the moment. Every room has been painted & it looks awesome. The kitchen has all the latest appliances. Us kids have chopped up portions of time to come here everyday so that it would get done quicker,"_ she paused and looked around. Our dinner was gone & Kayla was nodding off in my arms. Adabella took her from me and held her. Jhezro looked at her.

"_Please go on miss. I understand what you are saying. I know you probably got tired of talking, but the more I hear how this place came together, the more I am reluctant of straying away. Besides more English said, the more I learn. If you want, we can pause & I can go get some pie for us. Kahli's lemon meringue pie is the best I've ever tasted. Shall I go get some then?"_ he asked.

Alejandra laughed as she walked over to us with 5 pieces of pie.

"_Alejandrina's filling you in on all the details I see. Well now I can tell everyone what you are doing in here. They've been wondering where you guys had disappeared to. We wanted to eat dinner together, not all separated like we are now. I think you should wait to hear the rest of the story another time. Maybe when everyone is in the same room, huh,"_ she said.

Jhezro looked from Alejandra, to Alejandrina, & then to me.

"_Who's this?"_ he asked pointing his thumb at Alejandra.

"_That's Alejandra our aunt,"_ Alejandrina & I said together, then burst out laughing.

"_Please ma'am, I'd like to hear the rest of the story. It is very interesting. Maybe when Miss Alejandrina is done telling her story, the 6 American's can tell you & anyone else about their story. From the day they were taken to the day they were rescued. How does that sound?"_


	13. Jepson & Nathanial Arrive

**Jepson & Nathanial Arrive:**

But before Alejandra could answer, Kayla woke up screaming & rolled off the mattress that Alejandrina had out her on. Everyone was inside within a matter of moments wondering who had screamed. Ruthie, Alejandrina, Jhezro, Alejandra, & I were at Kayla's side in a second. I scooped her into my arms as she continued to scream and cry. The first two words that we caught out of her mouth were in English. They were in a matter of speaking, the doom for Ruthie, Katie, Sarah, Brian, Jake, & me. She was screaming '_they're here; they're here,'_ over & over. All 6 of us looked at each other. Kahli & Jhezro put there arms around each other knowing all too well what _'they're here; they're here'_ meant. I held Kayla in my arms until she calmed down. Alejandrina forgot all about what she had been saying & looked at how I acted around Kayla. She suddenly realized the change in me & liked it right away. Kayla had fallen back asleep in my arms again & everything was kinda back to normal.

When Kahli and Jhezro took their arms away from each other, they were pale faced. The words _'they're here'_ had put fear back into there hearts. Alejandra looked at them and asked why they were so pale, but before they could answer, the door banged open & our captors stood there with the Iraqi soldier that had helped us escape.

"_Let him go or else,"_ I warned.

"_Or else what? You'll run away from us again. I don't think so. This young man is getting the death penalty our way for helping you lot to escape. Then you're all coming back with us. This time we'll make sure you'll never get away,"_ Jepson said.

My dad stepped up and put his hands on my shoulders. Brian's, Katie's, Sarah's, Jake's, & Ruthie's father's did the same thing. Then the kids from school moved around us. Jepson's back was toward the door so he never saw Kevin & Roxanne come up behind them. All of a sudden, Alejandrina took Kayla from my arms; Kevin & Roxanne hit Jepson & Nathanial over the head with there nightsticks, Ruthie & I ran forward and grabbed the young soldier & pulled him toward the crowd.

The young soldier looked at me & then at Ruthie and then passed out. When he came to, 3minutes later, Jepson & Amos were handcuffed, Kayla was back in my arms & awake, and Brian's dad was trying to figure out why he had passed out & where he was hurt.

I looked at him & seeing that he was awake said, _"You're awake. How do you feel?"_

He looked at me, just looked at me. I realized that he was still scared that I might tell the cops what he had done to me. In Muslim he asked, _"How did you get home? Do the cops know about me? Ana bekhair (I am fine)."_

I looked at him & answered in Muslim, _"The cops don't know about you because I said it was another guard. We got home by walking into the arms of safety."_ In English I told Brian's dad that he said he was fine. Mr. Dunne asked me to ask him what his name was. I looked back at the guard & asked, _"What is your name?"_

"_My name is Amos Adar."_

I looked back towards Mr. Dunne & said, _"He told me his name is Amos Adar. Anything else you need to know?"_

"_Not right now?"_


	14. Our Story

**Our Story:**

Kevin & Roxanne came over to us & asked how we knew Jepson & his friend Nathanial.

"_We know them because they are our captors. They are also the ones that forced Nyhassa's father to work for them & forced Nyhassa to work as a translator,"_ Ruthie told them.

"_Jepson's also the one that tried to rape me & he whipped my legs with his whip. Amos walked into the room while Jepson was touching me. Amos pulled Jepson away from me, yelled for someone to get Nyhassa & then threw a blanket over my shoulders. Jepson told me that he was going to make me his & I would never see my family & friends again. Amos helped us escape. He came with Nyhassa to our cell and gave us the blueprints to he camp as well as all the information on Jepson & his pals,"_ I said.

"_Amos said that they're were other American kids in the camp, but that they had been brain-washed to act like insurgents. We saw some of them while we ate with everyone else & it didn't look like they had been brain-washed at all. On the contrary, it looked like they were only pretending to be brain-washed because they were scared of being machine-gunned to death,"_ Katie said.

"_Jepson was always watching Rachel. It's like he was fantasizing over her while he watched her. We all felt protective over her after Nyhassa brought her back to our cell, her legs all beat to hell, a blanket over he shoulders. That night, when they came to check on us, Rachel pretended to be sick & the guard came in, keys and all. Brian jumped him and slammed his fist into the back of his head. We handcuffed him to the cell wall, let ourselves out of the camp & dropped the keys in the boundary of the camp. We took off for the nearest town & took refuge in Jhezro & Kahli's orphanage,"_ Jake said.

"_When we were in the orphanage, we girls changed our names. Rachel was Rick, Ruthie was Randy, Katie was Kit, & I was Sean. They camp personnel had shaved our heads & we were starting to get some fuzz back on our heads when we started for Baghdad. When Rachel collapsed 5miles out of the town we had just come from, we thought it was from lack of food and water. We were kinda right. We fed her and she uncurled, but Brian had to carry her because she was too weak to walk,"_ Sarah said.

"_When we got to Baghdad, the doctors looked over Rachel & her cousin Hector sought us out. When Rachel was released from the Army hospital, the dogs were shipped over & we gathered them up and showed the orphans. Many of them had smiles on their faces & were running around in circles chasing the dogs. When we looked around, soldiers had stopped what they were doing to stare & were smiling. That's when Nyhassa's father told a couple soldiers that he had heard a familiar voice & when he was brought out, the cuffs were taken off of him & Nyhassa was in her fathers' arms within minutes. Nyhassa and her father told their story & he was let go. Then we got on the plane & went to Texas to pick up Hector's family & then headed to California. When we got off the plane, Ruthie's brother ran up to her & hugged her as well as pulling Rachel into the hug. People we didn't know, but Rachel & Ruthie obviously did, kept coming up to us & congratulating us on our safe return home. Then we got in the cars & went to the high school. Well you know what happened next,"_ Brian said.


	15. Our Story Part 2

**Our Story Part 2:**

Everyone looked at us, and then Nyhassa spoke up.

"_When my father & I were broken 'part & I was taken to the camp & my father was taken some where else, I thought I would die of loneliness until I met your kids. I immediately took a liking to them & was grateful to be assigned to translate for 'em. I had learned English very well because my father & I used to live in England fer some time 'fore moving back to Iraq. The moment we became friends, I was constantly with them. I was able to get blueprints for the camp & I like America. It is a peaceful place to live. No more war fer me and my father. I'm done travelin' fer now."_

"_Amen!"_ We all said at the same time & then burst out laughing. Our family & friends were looking at us. Finally Kevin asked how we were grabbed in the first place & why we didn't escape. I spoke up.

"_Would you have wanted Nadia or Nuria or Sam or David to have gone missing? That's what they threatened would happen. They told us that they would come back to America and grab our siblings. They said they would our siblings as target practice. I…we couldn't stand seeing them machine-gunned to death for no apparent reason at all. I couldn't stand seeing Nuria killed in front of me. I would've grabbed a gun myself and shot the guys that were doing the execution."_

"_Rachel & I were walking downtown when we were both snatched. Jake said he was on his way home. Sarah said she was home alone. Katie said she was walking home from an after school project. Brian said he had been riding his bike to work when he got snatched. We were all doing different things when we got grabbed. I remember seeing some guy talking to Rachel before she was pushed into a waiting van & when I got there, another guy got out of the van & pushed me inside, slamming the door shut behind me. I looked over & saw Rachel watching Jepson. I grabbed Rachel's arm & pulled her towards me. She stayed in my arms the whole way to the airport. Then we were hustled onto a private jet & flown to different states. At each state we picked up Katie, Brian, Sarah, & Jake,"_ Ruthie said.

When we were done talking Kevin & Roxanne took Jepson & Nathanial to jail, Amos was taken to a hospital to be checked out, the orphans were put to bed, friends from school started to leave for home, all of our families said goodbye to us & said that they would see us in the morning (all the food had been put away & the dishes had been done). Ruthie, Katie, Jake, Brain, Sarah & I stretched out on the couches, chairs, & floor & were soon asleep in our clothes, Kayla was still sound asleep in my arms.


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

The next day we all went to school. Kayla cried when she couldn't come with us. Life got back to normal & we were getting along fine. Everyone that had come over from Iraq had become citizens & were living life to the fullest. The orphanage got money from the government every month to take care of all the kids. Jepson & Nathanial were executed in Iraq. The Air Force, Navy, Iraqi soldiers, Army, Coast Guard & Marines went back to Iraq & found the camp that we had been in. we were told that when the other American kids saw the U.S. military approaching, looks of relief crossed their faces. They were all returned to their parents & none of them picked up a gun after that, (some had been in gangs & were now out. The gang members didn't blame them. After being told to blow yourself up, the gang leaders were out for good.)


	17. Missing Flyers

_**Not Real Telephone numbers. Made up numbers!!!!!**_

**Missing Information (NEED TO KNOW BASIS):**

Name: Rachel Rodriguez

Sex: Female

Race: Hispanic

Date of Birth: May 5, 1991

Height: 5' 11.5"

Weight: 145lbs.  
Eyes: Light brown

Hair: Pitch Black

Missing From: Glenoak, California

Reporting Agency: Glenoak Police Department

**If you find this girl please contact the Rodriguez Family A.S.A.P.**

Phone: (503)-421-6678

**Missing Information (NEED TO KNOW BASIS):**

Name: Ruthie Camden

Sex: Female

Race: Caucasian

Date of Birth: April 5, 1991

Height: 5' 6.5"

Weight: 135lbs.  
Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

Missing From: Glenoak, California

Reporting Agency: Glenoak Police Department

**If you find this girl please contact the Camden Family A.S.A.P.**

Phone: (503)-421-9986

**Missing Information (NEED TO KNOW BASIS):**

Name: Sarah Johnson

Sex: Female

Race: Asian

Date of Birth: June 21, 1991

Height: 5' 6.5"

Weight: 115lbs.  
Eyes: Green

Hair: Black with Blonde streaks

Missing From: Miami, Florida

Reporting Agency: Miami Police Department

**If you find this girl please contact the Johnson Family A.S.A.P.**

Phone: (403)-521-1016

**Missing Information (NEED TO KNOW BASIS):**

Name: Brian Dunne

Sex: Male

Race: Russian

Date of Birth: July 28, 1991

Height: 6' 6.5"

Weight: 175lbs.  
Eyes: Green

Hair: Brown

Missing From: Miami, Florida

Reporting Agency: Miami Police Department

**If you find this girl please contact the Dunne Family A.S.A.P.**

Phone: (403)-521-2245

**Missing Information (NEED TO KNOW BASIS):**

Name: Jake Fry

Sex: Male

Race: African-American

Date of Birth: December 10, 1991

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: 165lbs.  
Eyes: Hazel

Hair: Blonde

Missing From: Miami, Florida

Reporting Agency: Miami Police Department

**If you find this girl please contact the Fry Family A.S.A.P.**

Phone: (403)-521-6795

**Missing Information (NEED TO KNOW BASIS):**

Name: Katie Bell

Sex: Female

Race: White

Date of Birth: November 5, 1991

Height: 5' 4.5"

Weight: 125lbs.  
Eyes: Blue

Hair: Red

Missing From: Miami, Florida

Reporting Agency: Miami Police Department

**If you find this girl please contact the Bell Family A.S.A.P.**

Phone: (403)-4521-2234


	18. Vocabulary

**Hispanic Names:**

Adabella-f

Adelma-f

Adelza-f

Adeliz-f

Adina-f

Agalia-f

Aglaya-f

Agostina-f

Akemi-f

Alana-f

Aisha-f

Alaia-f

Alaide-f

Anna-f

Alejandro-m

Alexandra-f

Alexia-f

Alejandrina-f

Alejandra-f

Alidia-f

Alondra-f

Aida-f

Abran-m

Adriano-m

Anastasio-m

Anastasia-f

Emanuel-m

Esperanza-f

Hulio-m

Hector-m

Juanita-f

Juanito-m

Isabel-f

Nadia-f

Nuria-f

Pedro-m

Juan-m

Jose-m

Raimundo-m

Rosario-m

Sabino-m

Zuzenne-f

Zuza-f

Zurine-f

Zumalburu-f

**Last Names:**

Rodriguez

Gomez

Munoz

Garcia

Martinez

Lopez

Moreno

Garza

Alvarez

Romero

Fernandez

Hernandez

Medina

Gonzales

Perez

Mendoza

Sanchez

Herrera

Santos

Santiago

Soto

Rivera

Ramirez

Jimenez

Torres

Vargas

Gonzales

Castro

Flores

Rodriquez

Diaz

Mendez

Ortiz

Cruz

Pena

Morales

Guzman

Reyes

Salazar

Ramos

Aguilar

Ruiz

Delgado

Chavez

Valdez

Vasquez

Rios

Castillo

Ortega

Gutierrez

Vega

Zabala

Zamarono

**Muslim Names:**

Kahli-f

Jhezro-m

Jepson-m

Amos-m

Nathanial

Aaminah-f

Adena-f

Abda-f

Aanisah-f

Anisa-f

Aasiya-f

Ahava-f

Shira-f

**Last Names:**

Adar

Cohen

Levi

Mizrachi

Biton

Peretz

Bairiki

Baraki

Kushka

Shir Khan

Jalalabad

Samangan

Nawzad

Kunar

**Arabian Sayings:**

Akh: brother

Khubz: bread

Ashaa: dinner

Ab: father

Kaif halak/halik: how are you?

Kayfa haluk: how are you?

Marhaba: hello

Eid Milad Sa'eed: Happy Birthday

Bissalama: Have a safe journey

Ana asif: I am sorry

Ana bekhair: I am fine

Gadaa: lunch

Umm: mother

Madrassa: school

Shukran: thank you

Alhamdulillah: thank God

Inta/inti/intu: you

Tasharrafna: nice to meet you


End file.
